7 plants you can buy now and enjoy straight away

Great for: long-lasting colour

These pretty perennials bring late colour to borders and containers with their daisy-like flowers. Although many of the well known asters have lilac to purple flowers, there are also varieties with white, pink and red blooms. Some species within this plant group have been renamed, so at the garden centre look under the name Symphyotrichum as well. Asters are particularly good for beginners as they're low maintenance, long flowering, lasting well into autumn, and can be planted in both the border and pots for an instant colour boost. The single flowers are also attractive to pollinators. Plant in full sun or partial shade, in moist but well drained soil.

Price: Plants will cost around £15-20 for a 2-litre pot at the garden centre, but may be cheaper online.

Flowers: August to October

Dahlias

Great for: dramatic blooms

Although it's cheaper to buy dahlia tubers and plant them in the spring, garden ready plants are useful for extra colour in the garden at this time of year. Plant them now for instant impact and then lift and save the tubers (if you live in a cold region) to replant next year. Alternatively, in warmer parts of the country, leave them in the ground to enjoy the flowers again next summer. Dahlias are a fantastic plant for late colour, with flowers in almost every shade, including bi-coloured types and a variety of flower shapes from cactus to pom pom types and single flowered-dahlias. Plant dahlias in a sunny sheltered spot.

Price: Plants will cost around £14-£18 for a 2-litre pot at the garden centre.

Flowers: July to October

Rudbeckia

Great for: attracting pollinators and prairie-style plant combinations

Often used in prairie-style planting displays, rudbeckias are easy to combine with grasses and other late flowering perennials such as heleniums or salvias. There are both annual and perennial varieties, but if you want flowers that will come back every year it's best to choose a perennial variety such as 'Goldsturm'. The perennials are usually yellow whereas annual types can have yellow, orange or red flowers. For pots, look for a compact type like 'Little Goldstar', which only reaches 50cm tall. Not only are rudbeckias a colourful addition to your garden, they are also attractive to pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and the seedheads provide food for finches. Plant rudbeckias in full sun, in moist but well-drained soil.

Price: A 9cm potted plant is likely to be around £10 whereas a 2-litre pot will be £15-£17.

Flowers: July to October

Stipa tenuissima

Great for: autumn containers

An easy grass to grow and look after, Mexican feather grass has feathery silver to green flowerheads that look good well into autumn. This perennial grass is a great choice to complement late-flowering perennials such as echinacea or rudbeckias and it's low maintenance, too. It doesn't need pruning and once established it's drought tolerant. Plant it in a sunny spot, in well drained soil. It will look equally good in a border, gravel garden or container, adding movement to late summer displays.

Price: Mexican feather grass in a 2-litre pot may cost around £15-£18.

Flowers: June to October|

Sedums (Hylotelephium)

Great for: attractive groundcover

Plant low-growing sedums at the front of the border or in containers to enjoy their bright, flat flowerheads, which are made up of lots of tiny flowers in red, pink or white. The flowerheads are at their best in late summer to autumn, but the seedheads can also be left on the plant to add interest over winter. Border sedums are now known as hylotelephium, and have fleshy evergreen foliage that is also an attractive feature, looking good from spring onwards. Grow them in a sheltered sunny spot. They are drought tolerant and low-maintenance, making them ideal for beginners. Varieties that are especially long flowering include the pink-flowered 'Autumn Joy' and white 'Stardust'.

Price: These plants will cost around £15-18 for a plant in a 2-litre pot.

Flowers: August to September/October depending on variety

Chrysanthemums

Great for: late summer colour and cut flowers

Buying garden-ready chrysanthemums in late summer is an easy way to boost the colour in your borders and pots. They produce masses of flowers over a long period, and come in a huge variety of colours. Flowers can be single or double and come in a range of shapes from daisy type to big pom pom blooms. Chrysanthemums also make excellent cut flowers. The easiest type for a beginner to grow are hardy perennials, as these can stay in the ground over winter. Plant them in a sunny, sheltered place that has well-drained, fertile soil.

Price: The cost for these will vary depending on the type you buy but a 2-litre pot will be around £10-£18.

Flowers: July to October

Californian lilac

Great for: year round interest and bright blooms

Ceanothus 'Autumnal Blue' is a popular choice for late colour, offering year round structure and beautiful blue flowers that last from early July until at least the end of September. Not all ceanothus flower in late summer – other varieties to look out for include 'Burkwoodii' and 'Gloire de Versailles' but just look for one that's in flower at the garden centre and check the label to find out how much longer it's expected to go on flowering for. Plant this evergreen shrub in a sunny spot. It can be used as a feature plant at the back of a border or trained against a wall. A potted shrub will cost more than a perennial.

Price: For Ceanothus 'Autumnal Blue' it's likely to be around £25 for a 2-litre pot.

Flowers: July to October